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MMA

'Life goes on, no matter what happens' - Francis Ngannou not dwelling on Anthony Joshua loss after tough year

'Life goes on, no matter what happens' - Francis Ngannou not dwelling on Anthony Joshua loss after tough yearMark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
Defeat to the Briton inside two rounds in March has been placed into the wider context of a hard few months for the MMA fighter.

Francis Ngannou is not dwelling on defeat to Anthony Joshua, and vowed to make a winning return against Renan Ferreira at PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants live on DAZN.

The French-Cameroonian fighter will compete in his first MMA bout for almost three years when he faces the hulking Brazilian in his promotion debut at Riyadh's Kingdom Arena.

Ngannou turned to boxing in the interim and fought two-time world champion Joshua in March, suffering a second round knockout months after going the distance with Tyson Fury.

Francis Ngannou vs. Renan FerreiraHeavyweight world title
Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa PachecoWomen's featherweight world title
Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian EdwardsBellator middleweight world title
Husein Kadimagomaev vs. Zafar MohsenFeatherweight
AJ McKee vs. Paul HughesLightweight
Raufeon Stots vs. Marcos BrenoBantamweight
Makkasharip Zaynukov vs. Dedrek SandersLightweight
Ibragim Ibragimov vs. Nacho CamposFeatherweight
Mostafa Rashed Nada vs. Ahmed SamiMiddleweight
Tariq Ismail vs. Taha BendaoudFeatherweight

But after a difficult year that saw the sudden passing of his young son Kobe in April, the 38-year-old admits that he has had little thought for the loss amid other struggles in his life.

"It’s life, [and] life goes on, no matter what happens," he told DAZN. "I’m not even thinking about it because that wasn’t close [compared] to what I have experienced.

"[It has been] tough stuff. I think that was just part of the game. Sometimes, you understand that life gets really tough."

A return to MMA a year-and-a-half on from signing a deal to join the PFL will give Ngannou the chance to honour his son's memory, and he adds that he intends to leave victorious.

"[You'll] see me win," he said. "You’ll see me with my hand raised after the toughest battle.

"I think this fight is more personal. For me, it’s just discovering myself. That is the biggest [takeawy] I’m going to have in this fight."

Watch Ngannou vs. Ferreira on DAZN

Ngannou vs. Ferreira

Watch Francis Ngannou's return to the cage as he faces Renan Ferreira in the PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants this Saturday on DAZN Pay-Per-View.

The card also features Cris Cyborg against Larissa Pacheco for the women's featherweight world title.

The PPV is priced at £19.99 for UK viewers to watch on any device, including Smart TV's, game consoles, phones, tablets and PC's. 

To purchase and find the prices in your region click here.

Purchasing the PPV includes a seven-day free trial of all of DAZN's programming across a range of sports.

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